TEL PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP,
DOORSTOP, HMAS BRISBANE, SINGAPORE, 25 SEPTEMBER 1992
E& OE PROOF COPY
J: Prime Minister, is it the case you wanted to join the
Navy once?
PMS As I said, I walked into the wrony recruiting door and
joined the ALP instead, which iS probably a bit tougher
I think.
J: Prime Minister, you told a businessman today to put his
money on you in the next election. The Liberals have
already got some campaign ads out and thiey're focusing
on you, saying you're a good bet to help them win.
What's your rad ; lon to that?
PM: They can focus on me and that's where the money will be
as well I hope. But we'll leave the Liberal Party to
its own devices, I'm quite happy to proselytise on the
issues that matter to AUStralia, getting it reglonally
set up well, set up properly in the region in which we
live with the neighboure to whom we trade and the
places where people have a genuine interest in us.
That's what matters and not foresaking substance for
the shadow.
J: Are you concerned, however, that they're using your
comments that this is the recession we had to have?
PM; Who cares about them? I mean, you know.
J: Will the Labor Party be running negative ads?
PM: There's not an election campaign on. Let thum spend
their money now, good on them.
J. So itle still next year for the election, no election
beforo Christmas?
PMt It will be whenever it suits the Government.
25. Sep. 92 17: 18 No. 017 P. 01/ 03
T2EL5:. Sep. 92 17: 18 No. 017 P. 02/ 03
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3: speaking about the American defence presence in the~
Pacific. Do you thinkq there's any real dangor they are
going to pull them back any further? Does this worry
you?
P14: No, i think that the notion of American withdrawal from
, Subic Bay in the Phillipines means an American
withdrawal from the region is not correct. Americans
themselves have made the point about forward
projections from Honolulu, from the West Coast Of the
United States, from the deployment of its seventh
Fleet. All that's true I think, D~ ut wnat we want is a
closer commercial and institutional engagement by the
United states in the region. And that's what'$
Important, and I think that that brings automatically a
continuing strategic engagement in an area to a level
that people are comfortable with. because the United
States has provided a terribly stable environment for
this region, has given a composure to the region it
wouldn't have had. So that's why institutions like
. APECQ ax iaipvrtant to involve the United States to make
it confident about Itself in things other than defence,
and to be here as people want them here.
JS Primt, Minister, you repeated the message this morning
that you gave in Japan and that is you want Asian
business people in particular to update their image of
Australia._ Do you think that message is getting
through to business people here?
PM:. I think so. I think the people to people contact anld
the obvious business growth that Is already occurring
and most particularly the . gzwth in trade., the exports
to Singapore and the region and the imports to
Australia, people now understand that Australia is an
open place, that Australia made the change in the
It's saved Itself in the ' 80s from being an economy
that was basically unproductive and couldn't pay for
its imports. it has now made that change, it's now got
to consolidate the change and they want to be part of
the consolidation. They think we're stable, that we're
good-natured, that we do things cleverly and
productively, and we do, so this is the natural place
for us to be.
3: Prime Minister, are you going to be talking to any
Khmner Rouge representatives here?
PMt I don't think so.
3: How concerned are you about the peace process in
Cambodia? TEL
TEL: 25. Sep. 92 17: 18 No. 017 P. 03/ 03
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PM; I think the time to ask me about that is probably this
time tomorrow after I've had some chance to talk to
people there. But it's obviously a concern to us, it's
Ihe one great chance for a peaceful settlement in
Cambodia, and obviously the faster the Xhmer Rouge come
on board the process in an enthusiactic way the better
it will be accomplished, the better off everyone in
Cambodia will be.
Js Prime Minister, you are having talks later with
Singapote Airlines, and earlier this week Ralph Willis
announced that thK Govertment would be helping to buy
Up more of the debt, You're obviously concerned about
the sale price?
PM; These are oll commercial matters. Qantas is 4 great
franchise and it will command an important price. But
we want good strategic partnerships because we don't
want it simply being just a regional carrier, we want
to see it have a greater potential. So choosing one's
partner in this respect is going to be important. And
while the great budy of stock will be held by the
Australian people, the trategic airline partnerships
are going to be terribly important to Qantas' future.
So Singapore Airlines is interested, it's an obvious
suitor, if I could put it that way. And we'll seO what
it& pitch is.
ends